"...Radke learned much from James himself, having worked with the legendary entertainer in the late 1960s.
"I remember sitting there; he was 52 and I was in my 20s, and I’m thinking, ‘He plays pretty well for an old guy'..."

Harry James Gone, His Music Thrives, Dan K. Thomasson, Scripps Howard News Service

"Now directed by its former lead trumpet, the enormously talented and irrepressible Fred Radke,
the James band is still packing them into concert halls around the globe nearly nine months a year, sustaining the music
that made James and others of the era household names and heroes to every young American, the rock stars of a generation
that sorely needed the lift beset as it was by depression and war.

...

A player of great range and tone, with tremendous stage presence and vast experience including a stint with the old Miller
organization led by Tex Benecke, Seattle-based Radke is a highly respected music educator with a solid reputation among
his jazz peers. Like James before him, he lights up whatever setting with good humor and versatility, singing now and then.
Among his and the band's assets has been his wife, Gina Funes, a noted jazz singer, who still travels much of the time, earning
laudatory reviews from every performance."

The Harry James Orchestra, The
Bob Hope Cultural Center

"Harry James wrote of Mr. Radke,
'Since he left my orchestra, Fred has gained an
outstanding reputation throughout the United States and
Canada, as a great trumpet soloist, conductor and
educator of music.' It has been noted that Fred Radke's
style of trumpet playing is so similar to Mr. James'
that listeners often cannot discern the difference. He
was first choice to lead The Harry James Orchestra
because of his unique talents and broad area of
expertise."

Good old days of swing
return to Civic Center, The Des Moines Register

"The band has found a remarkable
leader in conductor and trumpeter Fred Radke. Radke has
commanding stage presence. His royal figure demanded
flawless performances from his fellow musicians, and
they delivered with style and grace.

Under Radke's precise control, the band played all
those beloved numbers that have made the Harry James
Orchestra a legend -- from soft, dreamy ballads like
'Sleepy Lagoon' to big, brassy pieces like 'Two O'Clock
Jump.' "

'Unforgettable' Couple
Merge Marriage, Music, Mercer Island Reporter

"Funes, who trained in classical music at the University
of Washington, went on to sing in revues and operas,
eventually opening for a musical group called the
Lancers at the Marine Room in the old Olympic Hotel.
That is when she met Radke, the Lancer's trumpet
player."

Lutcher Theater to Host
Music of Big Bands, The Record

"Under the direction of Fred Radke,
who played first trumpet with Harry James for many
years, you will hear "You Made Me Love You," "I Don't
Want to Walk without You" and "Two O'Clock Jump." Close
your eyes, and you will believe that Harry and his band
are here for you....in person just like the night he
performed at Lutcher Theater on February 12, 1982."

Bring Back Big Band Era, The
Sun, Lowell, Massachusetts

"I was working in nightclubs when
the Lancers came through and their trumpet player had
just left,' says Radke, who has played behind Johnnie
Ray, Earl Grant, the Lennon Sisters, Pat Boone and Rich
Little. 'I figured that was a perfect way to get to meet
Harry." He was with the Lancers for seven years."

Fred & Gina, Seattle's 'Swing Time'

, The
Seattle Times
" Radke has also led the Harry James Orchestra on tours
and next year, he will tour as part of Columbia Artist's
Salute to Harry James.... "

"They went where the jobs were, traveling to towns and
cities throughout the Northwest. After they agreed to do
a USO-style tour put together by a private company, the
couple soon found themselves headed to the Far East,
during the Vietnam War..... While performing in northern
Thailand, they watched the war across the river in Laos,
hearing bombs drop and explode..."